Andy Kaufman died of lung cancer on May 16, 1984, but according to legend, the eccentric comedian said if he were faking, he'd resurface 20 years later to the day.

So, just in case, a party is being planned by Bob Zmuda, Kaufman's best friend and partner, at the House of Blues in Los Angeles on May 16.

"Over 100 personal ads will be taken out across the country and abroad, reminding him of his words. Will he show?" Zmuda asked on the Web site for Comic Relief, a series of shows that raise money for health care for the homeless.

I have a clip from his performance in the muppet-show. It's the funny stuff!

that wasn't from the muppet show, that was from the miss piggy special which i have on a tape with grease 2. i ripped that clip years ago when i got my video card and put it in my shared kazaa folder. chances are, that's my clip.

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The corpses all hang headless and limp bodies with no surprises and the blood drains down like devil’s rain we’ll bathe tonight I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls Demon I am and face I peel to see your skin turned inside out, ’cause gotta have you on my wall gotta have you on my wall, ’cause I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls collect the heads of little girls and put ’em on my wall hack the heads off little girls and put ’em on my wall I want your skulls I need your skulls I want your skulls I need your skulls

that wasn't from the muppet show, that was from the miss piggy special which i have on a tape with grease 2. i ripped that clip years ago when i got my video card and put it in my shared kazaa folder. chances are, that's my clip.

I had a huge debate with somebody about this a few days ago. About how this is a guy pretending to be him and it isn't funny. And the guy said, "Oh come on. Andy Kaufman would've loved this." And I said that I didn't give a shit because it's still disrespectful to pretend you're Kaufman and say "After 20 years I'm back!" To me, it's not funny. It's funny if people are gullible enough to say "OMG OMG ANDY I LOVE YOU - BEST PRANK EVER!!" But for a guy to fake being him while Andy is dead... I'm not a fan of that. And I don't care how much Andy would've loved his legacy being revived. Let Zmuda do it if he wanted to. This isn't cool.

New York City, NY (PRWEB) May 19, 2004 -- Twenty years ago, on May 16, 1984, most of the world believed that we had lost a comedic legend forever. This has turned out to be what will inevitably be known as the greatest comic prank ever conceived. Andy Kaufman, by all accounts, is alive and well at age 55 and is now living in New York City on the upper west side. To his loyal supporters and fans, Andy says "sorry about faking my death," in a recent interview with ABC News at his apartment. In order to reach legendary comic status and seal his place in the history of performance art, he said it was "necessary to go away for twenty years."

Even though he has technically returned, Andy says that he plans to maintain his low key lifestyle that he has led for the past twenty years. He has resumed contact with friends and family. Fearing the possibility of this scenario and the potential for another hoax, Kaufman's family has contracted with independent auditors Ernst & Young to determine if this in fact the real Andy Kaufman. He has subjected himself to medical examination and submitted DNA, hair, blood and fingerprint samples to the auditors. Ernst & Young and the Kaufman family report that with a 99% probability, this is indeed the real Andy Kaufman. His mother says, "It's good to have Andy back."

In 1999, a new crop of Kaufman fans were born after Jim Carrey starred in the hit film Man on the Moon. "Andy's bizarre mix of comedy and performance art will inspire fans and comedians alike for generations, especially after this stunt," says Jim Carrey.

Andy says he will make only occasional public appearances, sometimes in disguise so that you won?t know if it?s really him or someone else. Kaufman was famous for pulling this stunt with the Tony Clifton character, sometimes played by good friend Bob Zmuda.

Andy says fans should tune into his website for ongoing updates to his adventures in life. As always, Andy's stage has been the world, testing the boundaries of our beliefs, our sources of information, and our perception of reality. "It's good to be back," Andy writes on his website.

but really, when you think about it, if he WERE back, this is probably the way that he would reveal it, that way he could give people time thinking that it's bullshit and that he's some disrespectful piece of crap.

I read way too much of those blogs (his own blog, and blogs related). It took me a while to peel my eyes away.

The saddest part of it all: Andy's return has sparked a near (maybe equal) amount of controversy and speculation as the return of Christ.

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"As a matter of fact I only work with the feeling of something magical, something seemingly significant. And to keep it magical I don't want to know the story involved, I just want the hypnotic effect of it somehow seeming significant without knowing why." - Len Lye